Covid-19 in Bulgaria: Roundup, April 8

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There are a total of
593 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Bulgaria, counting 24 deaths, one
of them on Wednesday, the national operational headquarters said on
April 8.

The total number of confirmed cases was 12 higher than the figure announced at the morning briefing. Of the new cases, seven are in Sofia, three in Kyustendil and two in Smolyan.

A total of 133 patients
with confirmed Covid-19 are in hospital, of whom 27 are in intensive
care.

The death on April 8
was of a 65-year-old man, in Shoumen Regional Hospital, who had been
admitted with pneumonia on March 26. A PCR test confirmed Covid-19,
and further tests confirmed that he had lung cancer. Over the past
two days, two consecutive PCR tests were negative for coronavirus,
but the patient’s condition deteriorated and he died.

The
announcement of the figures was among developments in Bulgaria on
April 8 related to the Covid-19 situation.

The
Ministry of Labour and Social Policy said that a total of 643
applications from employers had been submitted to the Employment
Agency for state support under the 60:40 scheme,
a number almost double that as of Friday last week.

The
60:40 scheme provides for the state to pick up 60 per cent of payroll
costs and the employer the other 40 per cent.

The
ministry said that the companies that had applied wanted income
support for 7231 employees. They are mainly small and micro
enterprises in the restaurant, bar, fast food outlet and furniture
manufacturing sectors.

Separately,
the ministry said that employees who are unpaid leave because of the
suspension or contraction of their businesses resulting from the
State of Emergency may be hired on a second contract by an employer
whose businesses are continuing normally.

Employment
on a second employment contract does not require the permission of
the employer with whom the employee has a basic employment contract,
unless there is an explicit prohibition therein.

There is also
no limit to the length of time that employees can work under the
second employment contract while on unpaid leave. The only
requirement is for the second employer to arrange the work so that
daily and weekly breaks are respected.

The
Employment Agency said that people who are unemployed or socially
disadvantaged can earn additional income by taking on short-term work
in agriculture labour. Employees on so-called “one day”
employment contracts do not lose the right to social benefits.

Following
on the morning’s announcement by Prime Minister Boiko Borissov that
there would be “mass testing” of people in Bansko to
establish the presence of antibodies, it emerged that about 1000
people in the mountain resort town – formerly under a two-week
quarantine – would undergo rapid testing.

Those
to be tested include people who worked in the ski resort’s tourism
business this past winter, staff of hotels and restaurants, medical
personnel, social workers, municipal employees, police and, on the
recommendation of GPs, people who had been in contact with those
infected.

The
most recent official figure for the population of Bansko was in the
2011 census, about 8500.

Discussions
are continuing on plans to go ahead with a military parade in Sofia
to mark Armed Forces Day on May 6. The
national State of Emergency currently is to continue until May 13.

Options
being considered are holding the parade without the public present,
and scaling the parade down to a march-past of corps and regimental
banners.

Wizz
Air is to suspend its flights between Sofia and Lisbon from April 9
to 13.

The
decision to suspend the route was because of measures taken by the
Portuguese authorities to limit the spread of Covid-19, the airline
said.

Sofia
municipality is starting to involve volunteers in disinfection
activities, the municipality said on its website.

As of
April 9, twenty-five volunteers will disinfect public transport
stops.

Municipal
transport companies continue to disinfect vehicles, subways and
stations. After the weather improved at the beginning of this week,
the municipality resumed the washing and disinfection of streets,
boulevards, refuse bins and public places.

For
the Bulgarian Jewish community, the evening of April 8 was bringing
the celebration of Passover, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt.

Members of the community are celebrating at home, rather than gathering together in large extended family groups or inviting friends, as a step against the spread of coronavirus.

This
year’s days of Passover, which ends on the evening of April 16, see
the Sofia Central Synagogue closed as a step taken weeks ago against
the spread of coronavirus.

In a
message, Central Israelite Religious Council president Sofia Cohen
and Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria president Alexander Oscar
said this year’s Passover Seder would be different: “We will not
sit with our grandparents, we will not sit with our relatives and
friends because we want to protect them and have the opportunity to
celebrate many more holidays together in the future.

“But
tonight we will all remember that we are one people and in every
Jewish house in Bulgaria and in the world at this moment, the
Haggadah is read, and we will remember that even if we are sitting
alone at home, at the same time other Jewish families are alone at
home and also celebrating Passover – one way or another, we are still
together.”

“The
situation we are in now inevitably leads to gloomy thoughts and
despair, but we wish you to turn to the story of the Exodus, the
story of Passover, and find in it the wisdom, hope and belief that
this dark time will soon be behind us and we will be with our loved
ones and friends again.”

Weeks ago, the leadership of the community made special arrangements so that members of the community could receive matzos, traditional for the Seder table, delivered free of charge to homes of members of the community, so that no one need come to the Synagogue.

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